for honeys

tatcha luminous dewy skin mist

About a week ago, I got an unexpected package in the mail – it was from Glossier, & it contained their revamped Soothing Face Mist. Full disclosure: I received this product for free, because of my position as a Glossier Rep. If I hadn’t received it in the mail, I wouldn’t have run out to buy it – but after giving this one a go, I can say with a clear conscience that this product is worth purchasing at least one time. Let me explain; just know: it’s a bit of a story.

One of my top “treats” for my skin is the Caudalie Beauty Elixir. Described as a “natural cult-favorite toning mist that tightens pores, sets makeup, and provides an instant shot of radiance to the skin,” this face mist smells like white wine, always feels cooling on the skin (even if the product is at room temperature), & can be used as a toner, as a setting spray, a makeup primer (!!!) or simply serve as a refresher throughout the day.

I mentioned “treat” because I have never bought a full-size bottle of the Caudalie Beauty Elixir – it’s $49 for 3.7 fluid ounces. I know. Trust me, I know. It’s not something my wallet can keep up with. When I have a little extra money on my hands & I’m waiting in line at Sephora, I’ll grab a travel-size bottle of the Beauty Elixir. $18 for 1 fluid ounce, this product doesn’t last too long – but it’s a nice treat that I can enjoy for about a month.

One of the things I love most about the Caudalie Beauty Elixir is its spray pump. The mist distributes itself so evenly across the face – & with such tiny droplets – that it truly feels as though you’re passing through a mist of a sprinkler system; maybe the mist from the Niagara Falls if you want a prettier picture. My point? Your face will always be evenly covered with product. No “more here, less there” – the spray pump manages to veil your skin in a fine layer of refreshing, champagne-scented, facial spray.

After having bought a couple of the travel size Beauty Elixirs in the past year & a half, I began to wonder: could i just screw the top off my Beauty Elixir bottle once I finished the product inside, then just put a cheap rosewater & glycerin spray inside it, instead? Win-win: my face would continue to be spritzed evenly; my wallet would suffer less. When I reached the end of my travel-size Beauty Elixir, I ran to grab my $10 rosewater glycerin spray & began twisting the cap on the Beauty Elixir, ready to switch out the product.

I was ready; the bottle, however, was not. After a little twisting, a little tugging, & finally – a frustrated floor-stomp – I realized that Caudalie was smarter than that. They knew their spray pump was good; they knew their spray pump was really good…& they’d fixed it so that it would be impossible to remove the cap on a Beauty Elixir bottle.

I was miffed; I was stumped; I started searching the Internet in hopes of finding something similar. I decided to check out a bunch of different facial sprays the next time I went to Sephora in PERSON – because this was something I really had to test in person. I knew what I wanted, & I needed to make sure it felt exactly the way I wanted it to – as well as have a removable cap – before I handed over my money.

It didn’t seem as though it’d be too hard to find something like this. I walked into Sephora, headed to the luxury skincare aisles, & started looking for some high-end face mists in travel-size packaging. I knew that I didn’t want to spend $50 on a face mist…no matter how good the spritzer was. Travel-size, I told myself, was the way to go for this one.

After a little hunting, I’d almost given up. I’d grabbed a refill of one of my favorite face masks, none of the face mists I’d seen/tried were really “speaking” to me, & I was tired. I headed to go pay – & then I stopped. Right in front of my eyes, in the bins of mini products at the checkout line, I saw “Tatcha Luminous Dewy Skin Mist – Travel Size” for $20.

I’ve seen Tatcha’s skin mist all over the Internet. It’s a favorite for many Instagram beauty gurus (in their one-minute makeup tutorials…you know what I’m talking about!); we ALL know that certain YouTubers love to flaunt their wealth by holding up a full size bottle of this stuff & completely dousing their face in it, using up half of a $50 bottle of face mist in one go.

From what I’ve seen & heard, Tatcha’s skin mist is way overhyped. It remains one of their best-sellers on Sephora (& on other beauty retail sites, too) but I’m still a little confused as to why that’s the case – I can name at least three of their products off the top of my head that seem far more effective & innovative. Try one of their Rice Enzyme Powders (a gentle exfoliant that deep-cleanses without creating micro abrasions); try their Silk Canvas Protective Primer (a face primer with a balm texture, made out of pressed silk); try their Camellia Gold Spun Lip Balm (expensive for a lip balm? Yes. A good way to treat yourself? Also: yes). Why is their skin mist their top-selling item? It remains a mystery to me. Still – I gave the travel-size trial spray a little test. The spritzer wasn’t quite as good as the Caudalie one, but the top was removable. I figured that I’d be able to give this skin mist a try, see what all the chatter was about – & at the end of the day, I’d still have a good quality spritzing bottle that I could refill with whatever my heart desired, as soon as the original product was gone.

I set down the trial, I picked up one still in its packaging, & I walked on up to hand over my money. Time to see if this refillable version of the Caudalie Beauty Elixir bottle would be a favorite; tried & true. Only time would tell.

Okay, but – what qualifies as “time,” can I ask? Within 48 hours I was seething, looking for my receipt (failed on that one) & looking at my complexion in the mirror in complete disbelief. Hives? No. Rash? No. Blemishes? Yes. Tacky skin that felt sticky & dirty? Yes. Within 48 hours of giving the Tatcha Dewy Skin Mist a go, my complexion did a 180 – & not in a good way. I was confused. I hadn’t expected it to be a miracle product – but what on earth went so wrong for me?

Tatcha describes their skin mist as a “silky, fine mist moisturizer that can be used under or over makeup for dewy glowing skin anytime, anywhere.” It’s good for all skin types, helps eradicate dullness, dryness, & fine lines/wrinkles. In the “If you want to know more…” section in Sephora’s product description, Tatcha directs: “Mist on this spray moisturizer for a boost of soothing hydration and a luminous complexion….The Dewy Skin Mist’s super-fine sprayer only takes two to three spritzes for your whole face. Use right before applying makeup for flawless application and a dewy, glowing look. Take it with you for easy touch-ups on the go to refresh skin and give it an extra glow. You can also mist it over makeup to replenish moisture and prevent caking. It won’t disturb makeup, so you can use it anytime, anywhere.”

The description goes on to say that the skin mist is non-irritating, non-sensitizing, dermatologist tested, & cruelty-free/fragrance-free. It all SOUNDED great…but looking at my skin in the mirror after giving the skin mist a few trial runs, I was wondering: non-irritating? Non-sensitizing? Really?

Now – even a product that is formulated for sensitive skin can react badly on some people with sensitive skin. We are not all the same; not every product works for everyone. Still – I was angry. I couldn’t find my product receipt, I couldn’t use the product because it made my skin feel gross, & the spritzer wasn’t even as good as the Caudalie’s spritzer. I decided to dump out the product (with clenched teeth) & put some good old rosewater & glycerin spray in there, instead. Maybe the mister would feel better with a product that I knew worked well for me.

Nope. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t everything Tatcha had hyped it up to be. Now I was sitting there with a small bottle of rosewater & glycerin – a bottle that had originally contained $20 worth of face mist…which I’d had to dump, because it’d done nothing good (& everything bad) for my skin.

I got over it. I stopped using the mist once I dumped it down the drain (obviously) I cried myself to sleep over the $20 lost thanks to my misplacement of my receipt, & I stopped looking for a mist that would work as beautifully as the Caudalie Beauty Elixir did. Maybe, I told myself, I could just continue treating myself from time to time.

Glossier got a lot of flack for their Soothing Face Mist. Initially $18, the Glossier Soothing Face Mist was essentially Mario Badescu’s Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs, & Rosewater – just more expensive. Although I’d purchased the Glossier mist when I first was trying out the brand, way before I became a rep, it was something I didn’t purchase again. It didn’t feel like anything special – & it stung my eye/lip area. Yes – even if I shut my eyes. I wasn’t the only one who said this; I most CERTAINLY wasn’t the only one that quickly realized that this face mist was way overpriced. The main ingredients (rosewater, aloe, glycerin, & good old H2O) could be purchased for half the price at any Ulta Beauty, Walgreens…even Whole Foods. & the ones I could buy at Ulta, Walgreens, Whole Foods, etc. didn’t sting my eyes. I quickly moved on from this product, & when I became a rep, was careful to say: it wasn’t a product I recommended purchasing for all of the reasons above.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago, when Glossier sent me their revamped mist, along with a little card describing what was different about the mist this time around. “NEW-ish: Soothing Face Mist,” read the card. “Especially nice on hot summer days, in the morning, after exercising, or on long plane rides that dry out skin.” Okay – nothing new there. Every face mist is supposed to do that for you. I continued. “Now with finer droplets, a plane-friendly size, and a recalibrated continuous spray pump.”

THAT caught my eye. Finer droplets? Recalibrated spray pump? My ears were now pricked. I noticed that the face mist packaging had been switched up, too. The bottle is now a translucent, #glossierpink – you can see how much you have left, which is a nice change from the previous bottle, which was a plain white – no transparency. This looked prettier, sounded nicer, &, because of the new “plane-friendly size,” it was $3 cheaper – now $15 vs. $18.

Okay, $15 for 3.2 fl oz. – you can still find cheaper facial sprays that do the exact same thing; at this point, however, I was most interested in the recalibrated spray pump. The brand’s photos of the revamped product looked more luxurious than the previous photos; the mist looked very fine, very soothing…it looked kind of like – you guessed it – the Caudalie Beauty Elixir spray pump. I decided to be brave & give it a go. I shut my eyes, held my breath, & pressed down on the spray pump.

It was magical. It felt like I was giving my face a healthy dose of the Caudalie Beauty Elixir – except instead of the white wine/champagne scent, I was getting the rosewater scent that was expected for a spray whose first ingredient is…rosewater. I waited to see if I felt any stinging sensations. I didn’t. Had my eyes become less sensitive? Was the spray reformulated? I don’t know the answer…all I know is that I didn’t have to dump out the product.

Checking the reviews for the revamped Soothing Face Mist on Glossier’s site, opinions on the formula remain mixed. Some say they still feel a stinging sensation – & who am I to tell them they’re lying? I can only give my two cents: when I tried the original, it burned. When I tried the 2.0, it did not. Ultimately, I’ll be left with an empty bottle of Glossier Soothing Face Mist – & then I’ll start cheating. What kind of sprays can I refill my bottle with?Mario Badescu’s Facial Spray with Aloe, Chamomile, & Lavenderis a favorite of mine; Heritage Store Rosewater & Glycerin Spray is another favorite. All I know is that I’ve finally found the perfect spritzer bottle. Farewell, Caudalie Beauty Elixir – maybe I’ll return to you one day, when I have an actual salary, my own apartment, & pay every single one of my bills – with some cash left over. Until then, I’ll be refilling this Glossier Soothing Face Mist with whatever appeals to me at that moment. Are you a lover of the fine mist of Caudalie’s champagne-y spray? You won’t get the white wine effect, but you will get everything else. I promise. Did I mention it’s cheaper now, & travel-friendly, to boot? All-in-all: absolutely worth a one-time purchase. Again: I promise. Worth every single penny – for a one-time purchase.

Are there any refillable mist bottles that you’ve been loving before Glossier revamped their face mist? If so, I’d love to hear about them! If you’re still stumped, give this one a try – give me your thoughts in the comments, too!